Moody Grant Recipient: Austin Ed Fund

Austin Ed Fund supports Austin Independent School District by developing and stewarding meaningful public and private partnerships that promote innovation and support opportunities that prepare Austin ISD students for college, career and life. Since 1993, the Austin Ed Fund has supported Austin ISD by raising public and private dollars for the district’s most innovative initiatives – often system-wide programs, impacting tens of thousands of students each and every day.

1. Can you share a brief history of the Austin Ed Fund and its role in supporting the Austin Independent School District?

Austin Ed Fund is the public education foundation supporting Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD). Founded in 1993, the Ed Fund serves as a trusted partner to the district and the broader Austin community, supporting strategy and aligning philanthropic investment with student needs. 

In 2015, the Austin Ed Fund launched its teacher grant program, known today as the Inspire the Future Grant program. To date, over $2.5m has been invested in over 400 educator-led projects. The program accepts proposals from Austin ISD educators every summer. 

During the COVID pandemic, the Austin Ed Fund rallied community partners to support our students, staff and families, raising over $10.2m to support educational and basic needs, including a community-wide meal program in collaboration with Austin ISD’s Food Services Program and the City of Austin. The Crisis Fund remains an annual priority for the Austin Ed Fund. 

In addition to serving as a vehicle for contributions and partnerships to support campuses or district programs, the Austin Ed Fund focuses on strategic district-wide initiatives primarily in the areas of College and Career Readiness, Early Literacy and Educator Experience. Austin Ed Fund helps bring innovative ideas and essential resources into schools across the district ensuring all students — regardless of background — graduate ready for college, career, and life. 

 

2. How many students does Austin ISD serve? Tell us more about the students in your region.

Austin ISD serves approximately 73,000 students across 116 schools. Our district reflects the vibrant diversity of Austin itself. Half of our students are economically disadvantaged, and many are English Language Learners (31%). The cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity of Austin ISD is a strength — and Austin Ed Fund is committed to ensuring access, opportunity, and outcomes for every student we serve.

3. What additional district-wide services and initiatives for the Austin ISD community (teachers, students and their families, staff) do you offer?

The Inspire the Future Grant Program provides funding for creative, educator-led projects each year. The program is open to all Austin ISD educators with an early summer annual deadline for proposals. Projects are awarded from $250 to $10,000 and the Ed Fund celebrates and supports the educators leading projects throughout the year. Past projects include professional learning, field trips, robotics projects, makerspaces, writing workshops, hands-on learning experiences and more.

The Crisis Fund supports emergency basic needs and provides funds to Austin ISD programs that work directly with families like Project HELP that supports students whose families are experiencing homelessness. The Crisis Fund also supports the emergency assistance fund for Austin ISD staff. 

The Austin Ed Fund serves as the district point of contact for existing and prospective donors who are interested in investing in public education and community enrichment. The Austin Ed Fund provides holistic cultivation and stewardship with 7.6M in active private grant funding to support innovative and strategically aligned work. 

These initiatives are shaped in partnership with district leadership, ensuring they align with both campus needs and long-term strategic priorities. The Austin Ed Fund helps drive systemic change by empowering Austin ISD’s leadership to envision and achieve transformative, lasting impact. Our collaboration with district leaders and community partners on early literacy, such as the Moody Foundation, has exemplified this commitment. 

Highlights include: 

• College visits, the summer internship program, and emerging programs that support students on their path to postsecondary education
• Early literacy professional learning and coaching provided through Austin ISD 
• Campus climate and culture data and coaching for campus principals to improve educator experience
• Partnerships with other local organizations and nonprofits, such as the Defend the Dream Foundation

 

4. Why is it crucial to support teachers in addition to students?

When we support teachers, we create the conditions for students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Austin Ed Fund invests in educator development, classroom innovation, and wellness initiatives because we know that when teachers are empowered and supported, students benefit directly, particularly those from underserved communities. Educator support is not a “nice to have”; it’s a critical driver of equity and excellence.

We stand by our teachers, providing unwavering support and resources to empower their vital work. This year, the Austin Ed Fund awarded $450k to the Inspire the Future Grant Program. This program funded 66 district-wide classroom-led teacher projects. To date, Austin Ed Fund has awarded more than $2.5 million to projects that support innovative classroom practices and educational opportunities. 

 

5. How can the community support its local school district? Why is it crucial to support our public schools?

Public schools are foundational to a thriving, equitable society. When communities invest in their local school district, they’re investing in future leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, and changemakers. The Austin community can support Austin ISD by donating to Austin Ed Fund, volunteering their time, attending school events, and advocating for public education at the local and state levels. Our collective engagement ensures that every child, in every neighborhood, has access to a quality education.

Hundreds of individuals, businesses, foundations and community organizations show their support by giving to the Austin Ed Fund each year. Together, we support projects and programs that are critical to our students and help Austin ISD maintain a culture of creativity and innovation. The impact the Ed Fund has in Austin ISD happens because we have a community of supporters who care deeply about public education.  

 

6. Tell us more about your relationship with the Moody Foundation.

The Moody Foundation has been a consistent thought partner and a supporter during times when our community has needed it the most. This includes a generous gift to the Crisis Fund during the pandemic, which helped keep students and families connected to their school communities and supported their basic needs. Most recently, the Education M-Pact Fund award provided transformational support that accelerated Austin ISD’s early literacy initiative, providing meaningful support for elementary school educators at scale. 

Importantly, Courtney Rogers, the Foundation’s Director of Education Strategy and Impact, is a true thought partner in this work. Her experience, perspective and willingness to provide feedback on strategy is a gift. She gets it at a deep level and understands what it takes to affect change in a large system – and the potential we have to do so. We are deeply grateful for our partnership. 

The Moody Foundation shares our commitment to educational equity and innovation, and together we’ve been able to pilot impactful programs, scale what works, and accelerate opportunities for students across Austin ISD. 

7. Recent accomplishments you want to highlight?

Over the past year, Austin Ed Fund has prioritized initiatives aligned with Austin ISD’s priorities, supporting and scaling innovative, systemic, and sustainable ideas at both district-wide and teacher-led levels. 

Early Literacy Initiative: Early Signs of Impact

With support from the Moody Foundation, Austin Ed Fund supported the launch of a district-wide Early Literacy Initiative to better align and support instruction. The Austin Ed Fund played a catalytic role—co-developing strategy, mobilizing over $2.2M, and convening thought partners to accelerate change. With shared priorities and enhanced support for educators, including professional learning, coaching and access to high-quality instructional materials, we are seeing promising momentum across key measures:

• Stronger Student Outcomes: Over 16,000 K–2 students across 79 elementary schools are benefiting from more consistent, research-based instruction. Fewer students are flagged for additional reading support.
• Equity in Outcomes: Emergent bilingual and economically disadvantaged students showed the strongest growth. Additionally, a multilingual caregiver newsletter was created that aligns to the curriculum and is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Mandarin.
• Educator Support: Educators have received additional support through consistent professional learning and coaching opportunities for over 200 instructional leaders, and training for teachers in evidence-based literacy methods. Four Lighthouse Schools received additional coaching and support, including biweekly coaching to principals and teachers. Lighthouse schools served as learning labs for real-time learning.  

The support for this work has been extraordinary. Educators appreciate it, and there is much positive momentum and demand for more! One principal supervisor summed up what the impact is for students: “Students have a greater view of themselves as learners. On one campus, kindergarteners were reading full sentences in October.” These early indicators reaffirm the long-term value of early intervention — and the collective impact we can achieve with continued investment. 

College & Career Readiness: K-12 Continuum of Support 

In 2021, the Austin Ed Fund identified College and Career Readiness as a focus area and worked collaboratively with Austin ISD leadership to identify high-leverage, high-impact strategies suitable for public-private partnership. 

• College Visit Initiative: In 2024-25, 7,433 students attended a college visit to one of 25 participating college partners on a total of 111 visits. 
• Austin ISD Internship Program: More than doubled participation over 2024 in Austin ISD Summer Internship Program, with 67 participants in 2025. More than 445 students applied this year! 
• Post Secondary Gap Fund: We are finalizing a new pilot program designed to support former Austin ISD students who are pursuing a post-secondary certification or degree and encounter unexpected financial hardships. This fund will help ensure that short-term challenges don’t become long-term barriers to college and career success. 

Support for Educators 

The Austin Ed Fund celebrated the 10th anniversary of both the Inspire the Future Grant Program (over $2.5 million awarded to 400+ educator-led projects) and the Inspire the Future Luncheon, further cementing our commitment to celebrating and supporting educators. This year, the impact of this support has allowed us to Fund over 66 educator-led projects across Austin. Past grant recipients share their reflections on the experience: 

“Austin Ed Fund has provided me the opportunity to flourish… I enjoy “carrying the banner” of innovation and creativity.”

“It has also provided me with more motivation to keep doing the challenging work we have as educators. Austin Ed Fund has helped me feel valued and appreciated in a career where that is not as common as it should be.”

 

8. Upcoming events we should highlight?

We’re looking forward to several key milestones this year, including:

• Austin ISD Internship Program Closing Ceremony on July 24
• Inspire the Future Grant Program campus visit celebrations on August 26th
• The next phase of our Early Literacy Initiative, set to launch in Summer 2025

Our Inspire the Future Luncheon on October 14, where we invite the Austin community to come together to recognize teachers and support public education.